How Much the Average Person From Your State Will Pay in Taxes

Nobody enjoys paying taxes, but not everyone pays the same amount of taxes, based on factors such as how much you earn, whether you file your taxes singly or jointly, and which state you live in. The difference in how much people pay in taxes isn’t that different from one state to the next, except for in those states that don’t have a state tax, or those with exceptionally high tax rates.

As one might expect, the highest tax in raw dollar figures is in Hawaii, where single filers pay an average of $24,687 based on a median income of $88,005. Other high-tax states include coastal states such as Maryland and California, where single filers pay an average of $23,548 and $21,572, respectively.

However, looking at the dollar amounts doesn’t give us the whole story. Incomes vary widely around the country, meaning if someone pays more in taxes, it doesn’t necessarily mean taxes are eating up a greater percentage of their income.

For instance, single filers in Mississippi pay an average of $9,609, which is the lowest in the country. However, that is an effective tax rate of 19.57%. Meanwhile, single filers in Texas pay an average of $12,221, but that is an effective tax rate of 18.15% there.

That’s why it’s important to look at all of the data and not just how much you pay. The reality is that your tax rate may be lower than you think. Let’s take a closer look at all 50 states, keeping in mind you can find your tax rate by dividing income taxes paid by household income.

• Median household income: $54,943
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $11,496
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $9,324

• Median household income: $80,287
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $16,066
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $12,012

• Median household income: $65,913
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $13,127
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $10,188

• Median household income: $52,123
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $10,771
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $8,889

• Median household income: $84,097      
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $21,572
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $14,764

• Median household income: $80,184
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $19,094
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $14,462

• Median household income: $83,572
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $21,185
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $16,437

• Median household income: $72,724
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $17,392
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $13,880

• Median household income: $61,777
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $10,577
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $8,375

• Median household income: $65,030
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $14,798
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $12,111

• Median household income: $88,005
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $24,687
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $18,977

• Median household income: $63,377
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $13,976
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $10,863

• Median household income: $72,563
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $17,367
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $14,087

• Median household income: $61,944 
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $12,578
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $10,359

• Median household income: $65,429
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $14,974
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $11,933

• Median household income: $64,521
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $14,412
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $11,237

• Median household income: $55,454
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $11,385
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $9,378

• Median household income: $53,571
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $10,341
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $8,225

• Median household income: $63,182
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $14,166
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $10,819

• Median household income: $91,431
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $23,548
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $18,269

• Median household income: $89,026
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $23,107
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $18,180

• Median household income: $63,202
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $13,686
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $11,341

• Median household income: $77,706
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $19,301
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $14,440

• Median household income: $49,111
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $9,609
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $7,624

• Median household income: $61,043
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $12,723
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $9,908

• Median household income: $60,560
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $13,408
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $11,001

• Median household income: $66,644
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $15,071
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $11,244

• Median household income: $65,686
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $11,736
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $9,143

• Median household income: $83,449
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $17,003
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $12,634

• Median household income: $89,703
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $22,447
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $16,044

• Median household income: $54,020
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $10,466
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid:  $7,821

• Median household income: $75,157
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $18,260
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $14,033

• Median household income: $60,516
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $12,472
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $9,790

• Median household income: $68,131
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $13,206
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $10,089

• Median household income: $61,938
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $11,730
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $9,512

• Median household income: $56,956
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $11,525
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid:  $9,175

• Median household income: $70,084
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $18,704
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $15,202

• Median household income: $67,587
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $14,375
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $11,591

• Median household income: $74,489
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $16,791
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $12,969

• Median household income: $58,234
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $12,186
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $9,397

• Median household income: $63,920
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $11,213
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $8,796

• Median household income: $58,516
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $9,616
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $7,734

• Median household income: $67,321
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $12,221
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $9,465

• Median household income: $79,133
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $19,603
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $15,626

• Median household income: $67,674
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $15,043
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $11,376

• Median household income: $80,615
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $20,282
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $15,937

• Median household income: $82,400
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $16,693
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $12,428

• Median household income: $50,884
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $10,345
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $8,463

• Median household income: $67,080
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $14,773
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $11,407

• Median household income: $66,432
• Single filing total income taxes paid: $12,465
• Married filing jointly total income taxes paid: $9,535

_{Methodology: In order to find how much the average person from your state will pay in taxes, GOBankingRates first found each state’s median household income as sourced from the 2021 American Community Survey 5-year estimates, conducted by the United States Census Bureau. Once this was found, GOBankingRates sourced the federal and state tax brackets from the Tax Foundation’s 2023 data. GOBankingRates used an in-house income tax calculator to find both the effective and marginal tax rate on each state’s median income. GOBankingRates also found the Federal Insurance Contributions Act tax with its rate reported from the Social Security Administration. These calculations were done for a person filing their taxes as a single person and for a married couple filing jointly, using the standard deduction for each. GOBankingRates found the total income taxes paid and total tax burden for each state. All data was collected on and up to date as of January, 25 2023.}

Jordan Rosenfeld contributed to the reporting of this article.